Coffee Guy
by kandyblood
Summary: Sequel to Landshark, can be read independently. Ella & the Beta kids are in college, but it's far from perfect. The classes are tough and the homework's insane, plus John has a crush on a guy at the coffee shop (but doesn't know it yet), Ella's roommate is ruining her life, and Erin likes Dave...a lot. JohnxOC, DavexOC, Johnkat, and others. T for swearing, mostly. DISCONTINUED. :(
1. Roommate: Enter

**Note: This is the sequel to Landshark, but it can be read separately. Just so you know, I don't own Homestuck or Erin, who's not in this chapter but will come up a lot later. Erin belongs to whostuck123, who is writing a story about her right now called Lifestuck if you're interested. I am super enthusiastic about this story (unlike Landshark), so expect frequent updates! Read and review!**

Ella looked down at the letter telling her what room she was in and frowned.

_Allison Residential Community_

_South campus_

_4__th__ floor, room 314_

She was on the south campus…she looked around. There were a lot of trees and a big open area with other students studying, playing Frisbee, and reading. Ella got up the nerve to ask someone where this Allison building was and headed over to one of the guys who was reading on the grass. He was tall and lanky, with spiky hair and 3D glasses that weren't cardboard (like Erin's) but that looked like real glasses.

"Um…excuse me, I'm looking for Allison Residential Community. Do you know where it is…?"

He looked up at her. "Yeah, it'th right over there." He pointed to the huge brick building to their right.

"Oh, thanks, sorry, I'm still a little lost…" Ella said nervously.

To her surprise, he stood up and snapped his book closed. "Yeah, that wath obviouth. I'm Tholluxth, by the way, what'th your name?"

"I'm Ella. Nice to meet you, Sollux."

Sollux just looked at her with dry amusement and headed towards the door of the building. Ella hurried to follow. "I'll walk you to the dethk. What'th your major by the way?"

"Oh, um, it's Art Theory and Practice. What about you?"

"Computer Engineering," he said shortly as he held the door open for her.

"Thanks. Do you live here?"

"Yup. Third floor."

"Oh. Cool. I can handle it from here, thanks for helping the noob."

"Welcome. Thee ya." Sollux turned and walked off, his hands in his pockets. Ella shrugged and turned to the receptionist, who greeted her with a cheerful smile.

"New student?"

"Yeah…says here that I'm on the fourth floor, room 314."

"Okay, just go down the hall to your left for the elevators. Your room will be on the right-hand side. Your roommate hasn't arrived yet, but she'll probably be here soon. Here's your key. Sound good?"

"Yeah, thanks." Ella took the key and smiled at her. She rolled her suitcase down the hall and stepped into the elevator. Suddenly, someone came tearing down the hallway and skidded to a halt in front of the elevator. She was about the same height as Ella, maybe a little shorter, and was wearing an olive green trench coat and a kitty hat. Ella held it open and she bounced in energetically.

"Thanks! My name is Nepeta, what's yours?"

"Ella. Where're you going in such a hurry?"

"To my furriend Equius' room to help him unpack! It's on the third floor."

Ella smiled at the other girl's enthusiasm and pressed the button. "So, are you new here?"

"Yeah! I got here yesterday. What about you?" Nepeta asked excitedly.

"I'm new too. Hence the suitcase."

"Ooooh, I should've known that! Ha ha, sorry!"

"You're good. We're at the third floor."

"So we are! Thanks fur holding the door fur me!" The cat girl gave Ella a smile that looked straight out of an anime and bounced out of the elevator. The doors closed again and finally she reached the fourth floor. She found her room, unlocked it, and stepped inside.

There was a tiny kitchen area to her right, with a cramped hallway right in front of her that cut off into a reasonably roomy living area. To the left of the living area there was another small hallway with two bedrooms and a bathroom. Ella smiled happily and rolled her suitcase into the room on the left-hand side. It was the smaller of the two, but it had a small balcony that looked out over the green space where she had met Sollux. It had plain white curtains, a twin bed, a dresser, and a desk. She let her large suitcase drop on the floor and shed her backpack as well. She began pulling things out and sorting them; sheets, bed; clothes, dresser; laptop, desk; toiletries, bathroom.

Ella had almost finished sorting her stuff when she heard a key in the lock. She stood up and went to go greet her new roommate, unable to hide her excitement. When she got to the entrance, a tall girl with long, thick hair, glasses, and a rather cruel smirk stood there. Ella's heart sank; she was wearing a leather jacket, skinny jeans, and a black shirt. Obviously someone who was used to being cool and popular, neither of which were qualities that Ella had or found easy to relate to. Plus she was a vegetarian and didn't believe in leather. She put a smile on anyway, deciding to give her roommate a chance before she made any harsh judgments.

"Hi, I'm Ella. What's your name?"

The other girl looked her up and down disdainfully. "I'm Vriska. You're an art major, aren't you."

She said it as a statement, a slight tone of disgust coloring her voice. Ella shifted slightly.

"Yeah. Art Theory and Practice. What about you?"

"Leadership and Organizational Behavior. I have a _real _major," Vriska said haughtily, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Ella frowned. "Me too. What do you have against art majors?"

"You're just so…artsy. Think you're so great because you can paint and act and shit."

"Actually, I mostly draw. Other visual arts are harder for me."

"Uh-huh. Do you like those stupid hipster nerd things like My Little Pony?"

Ella shrugged noncommittally. "I like Doctor Who. And Harry Potter. And a lot of other things."

"Harry Potter? Harry Potter is for middle schoolers."

Ella was really starting to dislike this girl. She shrugged slightly. "If that's what you think. What kinds of things do you like?"

"Gaming, spiders, and cool people who know how to be fun."

"Which, let me guess, doesn't include me," Ella sighed resignedly.

Vriska regarded her critically again. "I suppose you have potential. But you're giving off _waaaaaaaay _too much art-kid vibe. Maybe get some new clothes, nix the purple beret, and go to a party. A _real_ party, with drinks and boys."

Ella stared at her. "First of all, I like my beret. Second, my clothes are fine. And third, I have a boyfriend."

Vriska laughed coldly. "Oh really. And who would that be."

"His name is John, I've known him since I was like thirteen or fourteen. Why?"

The spiderbitch (as Ella had mentally named her roommate) raised an eyebrow. "John? John Egbert? Messy black hair, buckteeth, big, innocent blue eyes?"

"Um. Yeah. How did you know that?"

"I ran into him on my way across campus. He helped me pick up some things I had dropped. He's _way _too hot for you."

"Guess not, because we've been dating since May," Ella replied, starting to get a little annoyed. "Enough of this. You don't like me, I got it. Please stop the childish insults. Your room is on the right."

She turned around and walked back to her room, shutting the door behind her and frowning with disappointment. Her roommate was a huge bitch. She headed over to the items scattered about the floor and started putting them away in their proper places, wondering how she was going to live through the year. Just as she was putting her green polka-dotted comforter on her bed, she heard a knock at the door.

"What is it."

Vriska opened the door and walked in like she owned the place. "I noticed you gave me the bigger room, but yours has the balcony, soooooooo…move it, pal."

Ella stared at her disbelievingly. "Excuse me?"

"Clear out. Skedaddle. Shoo."

"No. I've already moved in. You snooze, you lose, I was here first."

Her eyes glinted dangerously. "I'm warning you, I can make your life very hard."

Ella glared at her defiantly. "Because of a room? Get over yourself. It doesn't even matter that much."

"Fine. Be that way." Vriska whipped around and flounced out, leaving Ella exasperated and a little apprehensive.

God, this year was going to be very hard.

**Note: Welp. R&R pretty please! ~kandyblood away!~**


	2. Ella: Attend Boring English Class

**Note: Second chapter, yay! whostuck123 looked over this for me, so thanks for that. Had fun with this one, might even update again today. :)**

Ella strode into her English class, chatting animatedly with Nepeta. Turns out, Nepeta was also in Art Theory and Practice and they shared a lot of classes with each other. Ella nabbed a seat towards the end of the middle row and got her laptop out, getting ready to take notes on the lecture. The rest of the class trickled in and the professor entered the room.

"Hello, hello, settle down everyone. My name is Professor Vantas, though I'm fine with just Kankri. I have some base expectations for this class, so if you'll all please listen carefully…"

Ella could already feel her eyes glazing over; she hated teachers who lectured on and on. Suddenly, a small shift in the focus of the class roused her from her bored stupor. The door opened and a familiar face poked its way in. Her 3D glasses were slightly askew and her hair was windblown, as though she had just run all the way across campus at high speeds. She was also wheezing a little, and Ella noticed that she was clutching a red inhaler in her hand. So she probably had run all the way across campus, Ella reasoned. Kankri stopped mid-sentence and gestured her impatiently inside.

"Come on then, don't just stand there distracting the entire class. There's an open seat up there next to…what's your name?"

"Uh…Ella…"

"Next to Ella. Go on then." He made a shooing motion with his hand, gesturing for her to go up the steps of the small lecture hall. Erin stood stock still for a moment before walking stiffly up, her mouth a hard line, and sitting in the seat next to Ella. Ella shifted nervously, got out her notebook, and scribbled a note. She passed it to Erin, who simply crumpled it up and left it on the desk without even looking at it. Ella frowned and tried to turn her attention back to Kankri, but the combination of his boring lecture and Erin's hostility kept her from focusing.

Finally the class was dismissed and they streamed out the door, glad to be in the fresh air and not listening to a boring lecture. Ella gave Erin a long stare before scooping up her untouched laptop and bag and walking past her. Just as she was about to go to the café for lunch, her Pesterchum pinged in her pocket. She got it out, expecting that it was John, and nearly dropped her phone.

-greatExpectations [GE] has begun pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB]-

GE: coffee shop at the north corner of campus

GE: be there in twenty minutes

-greatExpectations [GE] has ceased pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB]-

Ella raised her eyebrow and changed course, heading to where she hoped she could make up for whatever she'd done wrong to her childhood best friend.

**Please review! ~kandyblood is out~**


	3. Ella: Meet Erin

**Note: whostuck123 edited this for me, thanks for that. :) I'm sorry that I didn't update this sooner but my schoolwork has been insane lately. Oh, and I _love_ writing Karkat. He's just so funny! Homestuck is Hussie's, Ella is mine, Erin is whostuck's.**

The bell trilled shrilly as Ella stepped into the coffee shop, rubbing her hands together for warmth. Damn it was cold out there… She walked up to the very grouchy-looking barista, noticing the messy black hair (that was creepily like John's) and deep bags under his eyes.

"Hi, can I get a tall hot chocolate please?"

He glared at her as though she had dumped a bucket full of ice water on his head or something.

"Do you want any fucking whip cream on that?"

Ella raised her eyebrow at his language and dug through her laptop bag for money. "Yes, please."

"Four ninety-six. What's your fucking name?"

"Ella," she said distractedly, peering at his name tag. Wow, Karkat was a weird name.

Karkat got a fat black marker and scribbled what Ella assumed was her name on a cup.

"It'll be ready in a few minutes, you'll have to wait," Karkat barked at her as he walked over to a machine behind the counter.

She nodded and took a seat at a small table in the corner. Glancing around the shop, she noticed that it was surprisingly empty for such a cold day. There was only one other customer, a tall, lanky guy who was lounging in one of the armchairs sipping his coffee. Ella could practically taste the stoner vibes he was giving off.

Just then, none other than Erin herself strode into the shop. She walked straight up to the counter without even glancing towards Ella and greeted Karkat.

"Karkat. The usual."

He grunted and deftly grabbed another cup, not even bothering to write anything on it. While he headed over to the coffee machine, Ella noticed that Erin was sneaking a five into the tip jar when Karkat's back was turned. She smiled a little; Erin was just too proud to let Karkat see. When he turned back around with her coffee, her face was stone-cold blank.

"Alright, you know the drill," Karkat said irritably.

Erin smirked and handed him exact change for her drink. He nodded and then glanced over at the hot chocolate.

"Ella. You're wimpy hot chocolate with fucking whip cream is ready."

She smiled slightly at Karkat's gruffness and got up to get her drink. "Thanks."

He flipped her off and busied himself behind the counter.

Ella shook her head and turned around, realizing that Erin had helped herself to a seat at Ella's table and was now sipping her coffee. She returned to the table and sat down in her own seat, giving Erin a measured look over the rim of her cup. Erin stared right back. They let this competition go on for a while before Ella uneasily broke the silence.

"Sooo…do you come here often?"

Erin just gave her a look over the rim of her coffee cup.

Ella squirmed a bit under her cold scrutiny and tried again. "So…uhh…what's your major?"

Erin waited a while before answering. Her voice was measured and a little cold. Ella realized with a bit of shock that this was the first time she had heard her friend's voice in almost ten years. "Biochemistry."

"That sounds right up your alley. Are you enjoying it so far?"

Another pause. "Yes. It's very interesting."

Ella nodded uncomfortably and twisted a napkin between her hands, wishing that she could get out her sketchbook or at least a scrap of paper to draw on. Erin continued to stare her down.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore. "Why did you ask me to come here anyway?"

"To see how much you've changed," she said quietly, sipping her coffee.

Ella blinked. That definitely wasn't the response she was expecting. "And, uh, what have you decided so far?"

"Little to none."

"Yeah…you either."

Erin didn't respond to that, just peered at Ella through her 3D glasses. The hazel-eyed girl shrunk into herself a little. Erin was starting to be really disconcerting.

Her old friend finally put her coffee on the table and sat up a little. "So. Still drawing."

"Y-yeah, how did you know?"

"Your hands. They won't stop fidgeting, your fingers look like they need something to do. You also have that little callous on your finger from holding a pencil." Erin's face remained blank at this analysis.

Ella laughed slightly. "That would be a dead giveaway, yeah."

Erin just smirked and picked up her coffee again. Ella smiled. "Does this mean I can draw without being considered rude?"

She nodded slightly and Ella took her sketchbook out of her bag. Absently she started drawing Erin, though her attention was still on her friend.

"How's life?" Ella inquired.

"Fine."

"Still single?"

"Yes."

"That sucks. Got your eye on anyone?"

"Yes."

"Ooooo, care to elaborate?"

"No."

Ella laughed. "Tall? Short? Blonde? Brunette?"

"Tall. Blonde. Cool."

Ella stopped drawing and raised an eyebrow. "Does this person happen to wear Ben Stiller shades and a lot of red?"

"Maybe. Why."

"Because that's Dave, he's one of my best friends. Where did you see him?"

"I talked to him yesterday, he lives in my dorm building."

Ella laughed again. "Wow, that's so cool. I'll have to 'introduce' you guys."

Erin just nodded again, her face back to its stone-cold blankness. After nearly ten more minutes of silence she spoke again.

"I've decided that I still want you as a friend."

"Why thank you, I'm honored."

Erin gave her a withering look. "That's not something I say lightly, you know."

Ella nodded seriously as she tucked her pencil behind her ear and closed her sketchbook on her completed drawing of Erin. "I know. Thank you."

Her new-but-old friend stood up abruptly. "Yes. Goodbye." She walked right past Ella, leaving the other girl alone with Karkat, the stoner guy, and her own thoughts. She shrugged to herself and walked out of the coffee shop, her spirits rapidly falling as she contemplated yet another encounter with Vriska. Ella sighed, the cold fall air searing her lungs, and headed back to her dreaded dorm building.

**~Review please!~**


	4. Ella: Get Asked On A Date

**Note: I am going out of the country tomorrow, and I won't be back till Friday the 4th. I decided that I may as well update before I left, so here it is! Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and have an amazing Kwanzaa! Oh yeah, and happy New Year. R&R please! :)**

Ella walked into her dorm, heading straight to her room and hoping that Vriska was in class. No such luck; the spiderbitch stuck her head around the corner from the bathroom and gestured at Ella with an evil grin.

"Can you be a dear and help me with my makeup? I've got a boy to impress." Her voice had a touch of menace to it.

Ella sighed and walked over, dumping her bag in front of her bathroom door as she went.

"Fine. Just this once."

Vriska's grin widened and she stepped aside to reveal a huge palette of makeup laid out in the bathroom. "Thanks soooooooo much. I thought, since you're an _art _major and all…"

"Can it, Vriska. Stop trying to manipulate me into fighting with you," Ella muttered as she looked over her supplies. Vriska pouted and crossed her arms.

"I would never try to _manipulate_ you, dear. What nonsense."

"Sh." Ella pointed at the toilet. "Sit there and don't move. Close your eyes."

Vriska smirked and complied. Exactly seven minutes and four seconds later, she had four shades of blue eye shadow (which were blended quite well, Ella congratulated herself silently), mascara, expertly applied eye liner, and black lipstick. She watched Vriska look in the mirror and savored the expression of shock on her face.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," her roommate said, sincerely for once. "Thanks for helping me…I just _knew_ we'd get along." Ella sighed and went down the hallway to her own room.

"Whatever. Don't expect me to like you just because you like how I did your makeup, by the way."

Vriska made a face at Ella's back, but her voice was sugary sweet. "Not expecting you to, sweetheart. But really, it _is_ quite good. I guess I underestimated you."

Ella rolled her eyes and disappeared into her room, collapsing onto the bed. Before she realized what she was doing, she felt her eyelids close and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

By the time Ella woke up, it was already starting to get dark outside. She yawned and lazily checked her Pesterchum, smiling when she saw that she had a message from John.

-ectoBiologist [EB] has begun pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB]—

EB: hey ella.

EB: you wanna go do something tonight?

EB: i just found this great movie theater we could go to.

SB: Wow, yeah, that sounds like fun!

SB: What movie?

EB: oh i dunno, whatever you feel like.

EB: there's not really one that i'm dying to see right now.

SB: Okay.

SB: Meet me at the coffee shop in the north corner of campus at 5 and we can go together.

EB: sounds good! see you later!

SB: See ya.

-sarcasticBookworm [SB] has ceased pestering ectoBiologist [EB]—

As Ella got up from her bed, she heard the door close behind Vriska. She smiled; now she could get ready in peace. Ella bounced off the bed and dug through her dresser for something to wear, finally settling on a cute gray and black top and some casual jeans. She brushed her hair, cleaned her glasses, and nodded at her reflection approvingly.

About half an hour later, Ella walked up to the coffee shop. She spotted the back of John's head and grinned knowingly; she knew that he'd be early. Until he shifted a little and over his shoulder she saw what he was paying so much attention to.

"_Vriska,_" Ella growled, her face darkening. She huffed and stepped into the shop, making a point to ring the bell as obnoxiously as possible. John turned around and gestured her over, a goofy grin on his face.

"Hey Ella, this is Vriska! She's a new friend of mine!"

Ella stared daggers at her. "John, she's my roommate."

He looked confused for a moment. "But I thought you said your roommate wasn't nice to yo-" Ella gave him a pointed look and his eyes widened in realization. "Oh. Ohhhhhh. I didn't…I mean…oh jeez, this is awkward…"

Ella sighed and shrugged. "She knows that I don't like her."

"Hey, I'm standing right here you know!" Vriska said angrily. John turned towards her again, looking sheepish.

"Sorry. We really should be going though, nice to meet you." John twined his fingers with Ella's and led her out of the shop. Once they were outside Ella smiled at him.

"Thanks."

"No problem. But she was pretty nice to me, and her makeup was amazing. Is she an art major?"

"No John, I did that makeup because I decided to give her a chance. Evidently I was wrong."

"Wait, but she said that she did it herself!"

"Really? You believe that?"

"Oh. Well…I guess not. It's too bad she's such a bitch."

Ella laughed. "Tell me about it. Where is this movie theatre?"

John grinned. "This way."

He led her to a big dorm building nearby.

"This is it."

"John are you taking me to your bedroom."

He laughed, his buckteeth showing a little. "You might say that."

She sighed and shook her head, smiling. "Movie. That's it."

He pretended to sigh exasperatedly. "Fiiiiiiiine."

Ella laughed and nudged him forward. "Well come on then, we don't have all night."

John waggled his eyebrows suggestively, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"John no. Just…no."

"I know, I know, I'm just messing with you."

John squeezed Ella's hand and pulled her along to the dorm building, a mischievous smile on his face that she couldn't see.

**Please review, you guys. The lack of reviews is killing me here. Just...please. I'm begging you. ~kandyblood is leaving now~**


	5. John: Be Incredibly Suggestive

**Thanks for the reviews you guys, I was getting a little discouraged there. To Anonymous: thanks for letting me know what you think, I hope I can make this a little more interesting. Landshark definitely fell short, so I am seriously hoping to make this better. Wrote this chapter on the plane back. Sorry about my interminable author's notes. Have an update.**

Ella looked around John's dorm, noting the copious amounts of blue that were already there; a blue rug, a blue painting, a blue lamp…she reflected that maybe this was an unhealthy obsession. John closed the door behind them and grinned at Ella.

"My roommate, Gamzee, agreed to crash at his friend's place tonight. So we have the place to ourselves."

Ella grinned and then sniffed the air a little. "Um. Is that…?"

"Pot? Uh…yeah, Gamzee smokes… I try to get him to stop, but…" John shrugged helplessly.

She shrugged as well and walked a little way into the dorm. It was bigger than hers and Vriska's, but way more cluttered. The mess actually made it feel lived in though; it wasn't altogether unpleasant. John interrupted her analysis of his dorm by scooping her up fireman style and carrying her over his shoulder to a room with a beat-up couch and a TV. He dumped her (completely gracefully, of course) on the couch and plopped down next to her, his eyes squinching up with laughter. She giggled a little and poked him gently in the side. Once he had caught his breath, he pecked her on the cheek and got up to put a movie in.

"Uhm…let's see…we've got several options to choose from this evening, including a wide selection of Nic Cage movies and various films featuring blue ladies that were a gift from one Jake English…"

Ella laughed again. "Do you have 'Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy'?"

He looked. "Nope, sorry. But I have Avatar."

"Avatar the Last Airbender or Avatar with the blue cat people?"

"Yes."

"Ah…the one with the cat people, please."

"Coming right up!" John bounced over to the TV and put the movie in the slot. Ella relaxed onto the arm of the couch, smiling at John's shenanigans as he stepped over the coffee table and plopped down next to her.

"You seen this movie before?"

"Nope," Ella said as she oh-so-subtly migrated over to him. He grinned and put a casual arm around her shoulders as the previews started.

Ella's look of satisfied boredom turned to a look of excitement, which soon turned to a look of excited horror as the movie progressed. John, however, was not helping her focus on the movie. His hand went innocently from her shoulder to her hip and rested there for a while before creeping slowly up her rib cage. Ella mostly ignored it at first, too absorbed in the movie to really care.

And then he started brushing his fingers against the soft spot on her side. When it started it just felt like a gentle tickle, but as he became bolder her face turned slightly pink. She burrowed down a little more into his chest so he wouldn't see, but it took everything she had not to let any…unwanted noises escape.

John looked down and grinned as Ella's body went rigid, betraying her despite her best efforts. When the scene with Neytiri and Jake in the forest of luminous pink flowers came on, he bent a little and pressed a small kiss to her jaw. When she didn't react beyond cuddling up a little more, he flicked his tongue out and licked the spot he had just kissed. Ella couldn't keep herself from gasping a little at this.

John chuckled lightly and let his tongue slide across her jaw, his overlarge teeth grazing the _extremely_ sensitive spot just below her ear.

Ella bit her lip to keep herself from moaning out loud, trying to turn her attention back to the movie. John just took it as encouragement and started kissing his way towards her lips. Occasionally, he would teasingly but lightly drag his tongue across her skin. Finally Ella couldn't take it anymore.

"John-" She stopped short, her breath catching at the needy sound of her own voice. "P-please…"

He looked down at her with an innocent face, a slight knowing smirk tugging at his lips.

"Stop what?"

"Y-you know exactly what," Ella half-said, half-panted.

John nuzzled her neck. "Oh, but you know you enjoy it."

"Sh-shut up, no I don't!"

He just smiled and captured Ella's lips with his own. Ella gasped slightly at the sudden pressure, which just gave him the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. John kissed Ella almost hungrily, his hands flitting up to graze her hips and sides.

Ella moaned into his mouth as he found her soft spot once again, her back arching up involuntarily.

John broke away, his blue eyes slightly darkened with lust.

"Still nothing but a movie then?" He whispered, his voice a little husky.

Ella closed her eyes, panting, as she recovered from his onslaught. "N-no. Down boy."

He pouted and opened his mouth to say something when the apartment door slammed open and a vaguely familiar voice shouted into the room.

"Gamzee Makara, you get your ass over here this instant!"

John's eyebrows came together in confusion. "Um…he's not here right now, but I'm his roommate," he called.

A short-ish young man with deep bags under his eyes slammed into the room. Ella sat up sharply.

"Hey, you're that Karkat guy from the coffee shop!"

He gave her a glare that could have felled a moose.

"And you're that Ella girl who ordered a wimpy hot chocolate with fucking whipped cream and had a staring contest with Erin."

John seemed to come out of a daze as he interrupted them.

"Well, I'm the very confused John guy who insists on knowing what's going on."

"I need to fucking talk to Gamzee, dipshit. Do you know where the fuck he wandered off to this time?" Karkat crossed his arms angrily, as though asking that question was the worst thing he'd ever done in his life.

John blinked for a moment, as though he needed to process what Karkat was asking of him. "Oh! Um, yeah, sorry, he said he would crash with someone called 'Tavbro'?"

"Why the ever-loving fuck would he do that?"

The blue-eyed boy cleared his throat, avoiding Karkat's eyes. "I asked him to."

The insomniac glanced at Ella. "Good luck with that, Romeo. Juliet looks like the innocent type who wants to 'take it slow.'"

Ella frowned at his jibe. "Do you actually want anything else or are you just going to stand there and insult me?"

Karkat rolled his eyes. "What the fuck ever, princess. I'll leave you and Charming over here to whatever you were doing before I came in. Who knows, maybe you actually will have a reason not to have Gamzee here." And with that he whirled around and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Ella looked up at John. "Hey, Earth to Egbert. You still in there?"

He shook his head as though to clear it. "Yeah, sorry, I'm fine. Moment's sorta ruined though, huh?"

Ella smirked. "Maybe that's a good thing. I don't think I could've held out much longer."

John laughed. "Let's watch the movie, goofball."

Ella sank into his chest and murmured into his shirt. "Okay, 'Romeo.' Nice nickname, by the way."

"Shut up." He batted her half-heartedly across the ear.

"Shh, the movie."

John smiled slightly and sat back, contenting himself with twining Ella's hair around his fingers as she un-paused the movie. He briefly wondered how it got paused and shrugged, figuring that she had probably paused it so they could talk to Karkat in peace.

Ella thought he seemed a little distracted, but she mentally shrugged and turned her attention back to the screen.

Half an hour later, the credits were scrolling down the TV. John yawned and looked down at Ella, who looked half-asleep herself. He glanced at the clock; wow, it was already 11. The walk to his dorm must have taken longer than he thought.

John licked his dry lips and gently picked up Ella, who didn't complain, and carried her to his bedroom.

She cracked open one eyelid. "Wow, really? Your bed?" Ella yawned.

"Yup. It's too late for you to go all the way back to your dorm."

"Whatever. Don't try anything though."

John laughed softly and put her gently on the bed, covering her up and slipping in next to her. She curled up into his side and he pressed her closer, though his thoughts wandered elsewhere. Ella was soon breathing slowly and steadily, her sleeping form lying curled up in the bed.

John's eyes remained wide open; all he could do was think about the little bundle of anger that had wandered into his path today.

**And now it's done. Hallelujah. My New Year's resolutions were to curse less (irl of course, I mean I'm writing about Karkat here) and to update more. So. There ya go. Had tons of fun with this chapter, and things are totally about to get interesting. Be prepared. ;) *wonk* ~kandyblood, over and out~**


	6. Ella: Be Tired and Slightly Suspicious

Ella was very, very tired. She was in Art Theory and Practice, trying to keep her eyes open while she focused on the sculpture they were supposed to draw. As a student of middle talent, she had a side view of the thing. The best students got the front, and the worse students got the back. Right then she really didn't care where she was; her brain was pretty much too sluggish to register anything properly.

Yesterday had been a nightmare. She pulled an all-nighter, typing a 20-page paper for English and an essay for Anthropology as well as finishing an abstract piece for the class she was currently in. Not to mention that two-thirds of the way through the Anthropology essay, Vriska snuck into her room and erased the document. Ella had to type the whole thing over, and she was still plotting her revenge on the bitch. The teacher decided to give them a break, letting them do a relatively easy still life instead of learning anything new.

Ella came out of her daze of exhaustion when Nepeta poked her arm.

"Hey, aren't you going to start?"

She glanced down at her blank page. "Yeah, I'm working on it," she yawned. She picked up a 4H pencil and started sketching an outline, slowly building on it until she had the solid shape. Nepeta looked over again.

"That's good, but why didn't you start earlier?"

Ella blinked at her owlishly. "I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open, Leijon. Give me a break."

Nepeta gave her a sympathetic look and returned to her own sketch, her pencil flying deftly over the page. Ella sighed and picked up an HB, starting to fill in the details. As she drew, she felt a little of the tiredness lift. She outlined one place with a 3B, smudging it with her finger and creating more of a natural shadow. Ten minutes later she stood and wiped her fingers on her jeans, taking the picture over to the instructor. Professor WV took it and looked it over, nodding. Ella yawned again and started back to her seat to gather her things when he called her back.

"Ms. Stein, can I speak with you?"

She turned around and walked back. "Sure, Professor. What is it?"

"I've decided that from now on you should sit more towards the front. See where Mr. Evans is sitting? Yes, that's your seat from now on when we're doing exercises like this."

Ella was a little surprised. "Thank you, sir."

He gave her a kind smile. "While your focus on other mediums could use some work, your still lifes are incredible. Keep it up."

Ella nodded and returned to her seat, gathering her things. "See ya, Neppers. I'm going back to my dorm for some sl- oh shit, never mind. Gotta go meet John. Bye."

She walked out and started trudging towards the coffee shop, her bag slung over her shoulder. Just as she expected, John was already there. He was talking to Karkat and laughing at something the angry man had said. Ella pushed her way in and collapsed at a table, her head thunking down on the table. John spotted her and walked over.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Ella muttered something like "sleep English tired" into her arms, the words muffled by her sweater. John laughed slightly.

"Okay then. You want something to drink?"

"Black coffee with espresso," she said, lifting her head up. "Caffeine. Please."

Karkat busied himself with the coffee machine, having heard her order. Ella handed John a ten. "Tell 'im to keep the change."

The blue-eyed man took the bill and walked it over to the counter. "Hey Karkat, she said-"

"Shut up, fuckass, I can hear," came the grouchy response. Karkat put Ella's coffee on the counter. "There."

John carried it back to Ella, who took it and gulped it down gratefully. After her brain was functioning again, she noticed that John kept looking over at Karkat.

"Yo John, you in there?"

"What? Oh, yeah, sorry."

Ella blinked at him and then her face brightened slightly. "Hey guess what?"

"Uh…what?"

"I've been moved up in the ranking for my art class. The professor put me more towards the front for when our class is doing still life. Cool, right?"

"Wow, yeah. Where were you before?"

"More towards the side."

"Cool," John nodded, his eyes flicking over to Karkat again. Ella sipped her coffee and studied him, noting that he was extremely distracted by the coffee guy.

"John, do you have a crush on Karkat?" Ella whispered, leaning in so only John could hear. He jumped and turned slightly red.

"What? No, no! I'm not a homosexual, Ella."

Ella nodded, still not satisfied, and sat back a little. The more she watched John, the surer she became that he was in denial.

Finally she got up. "Alright, I better go to Math. Slick will kill me if I'm late."

John nodded sympathetically. "Better go. See you later, kay?"

"Kay. Bye."

Ella stood up and left, beginning her trek across campus. A thought was running through her mind that she hated.

Should she break up with John?

She knew he meant well and didn't think he liked Karkat, but with the way he was looking at him…she sighed and shook her head. Boys. All of them were idiots.

**So. This story. I'm continuing it after all, because it won't leave me alone. I don't like this chapter very much, but it needed to happen. Sorry. I'll try my best to update every Saturday from now on. ~kandyblood: ollie outie~**


	7. Ella: Art Class and a Christmas Party

**Thanks to whostuck123 for looking this over for me.**

Ella flipped Vriska the finger when she got home, knowing that her roommate was going to bug her—no pun intended. Vriska huffed and of course continued on with whatever she was going to say.

"Your total _rudeness_ aside, I was going to tell you that I invited a few people over for a Christmas party."

"I'm Jewish," Ella said shortly, running her hand through her hair and examining the paltry contents of their shared food cabinet.

"Whatever, it's just a stupid party. If you don't wanna be here then find someone else to crash with, but I invited John so I thought you'd want to attend," Vriska said snootily, looking at her blue nail polish. "Of course, if you _want_to let me have a little private time with him…"

Ella grabbed a granola bar and sighed. "I don't know what you're trying to manipulate me into, but whatever I'll just be here. Can I invite a friend?"

"Sure, it's BYOG."

"What the hell is that?"

"Bring Your Own Guests. Obviously."

"Ha. You're hilarious. Look at me, I'm rollin' on the floor over here," Ella said sarcastically as she walked back to her room. "Don't bother me or I'll put sour cream on your hands while you're asleep, I have an art project to do."

Vriska smirked at her back and called after her. "Try it and I'll kill you, hon."

"I bet you will," Ella grumbled under her breath as she shut her door behind her and walked over to the canvas on her floor, which had various colors of paint scattered around it. She sat down and sighed; painting was very hard. The shading was never right and all her pictures looked lopsided. Bluh. She was supposed to do a still life, since that was what they were working on in her class. God damn it. Ella got up and carried her canvas with her to the balcony, where she took a plain old Ticonderoga pencil from behind her ear.

And stared at the blank canvas.

Nothing.

No inspiration struck her.

She sighed and decided to do that later…maybe a night scene or something. Ella shrugged and pulled out her phone.

-sarcasticBookworm [SB] has begun pestering greatExpectations [GE]-

SB: Hey.

SB: How willing would you be to come to a Christmas party with me?

GE: That depends

GE: Who all is going

SB: So far? Me, you, John, Vriska, some of Vriskas friends Im assuming, and Im just about to ask Dave too.

GE: 8/

SB: Please come, I really need a friend with me.

GE: What about John

SB: …

SB: He doesnt count.

GE: Uh

GE: Huh

SB: Seriously please.

GE: Ugh

GE: Fine

GE: I'll go

GE: Under one condition

SB: What?

GE: Help me talk to the coolkid

SB: Dave?

SB: But I thought you two had already talked?

GE: Well technically

GE: Yes

GE: But logic aside

GE: Thats my condition

GE: Take it or leave it

SB: Alright, alright.

SB: I still dont see the point though.

GE: You dont need to

GE: Date and time

Ella got up swiftly and hollered into the hallway.

"Vriska, when is this party?"

"Saturday at 8. I thought you were doing homework?"

Ella ignored the obvious provocation and disappeared into her room again.

SB: Saturday at eight.

GE: Ill be there

GE: Bye

-greatExpectations [GE] has ceased pestering sarcasticBookworm [SB]—

Ella sighed and clicked on Dave's icon.

-sarcasticBookworm [SB] has begun pestering turntechGodhead [TG]-

SB: Come to a Christmas party at my place on Saturday at eight?

SB: Johns already coming.

TG: sure

TG: sounds great

TG: should i invite the others

SB: Oh.

SB: Yeah sure, thats fine.

SB: See ya.

-sarcasticBookworm [SB] has ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG]-

Ella set down her phone and glanced back over at her canvas. She really did need to work on that…

That Friday, Ella walked into class and set her painting down with everyone else's before going to sit with Nepeta. Her friend looked slightly worried, which was completely unlike her.

"Hey Neps, what's wrong?"

Nepeta pointed up front. "Look at the board."

_Hello students. I am unable to be here today, but please know that you have three weeks to research the inspirations of artists from the genres we have studied and come up with your own painting, along with a three to five page explanation of your inspiration for the piece. You will be expected to include your inspiration, the situation, scene, or person that caused it, and its connection to past artists' inspiration. Keep it succinct, and see you after the holdiays!_

_Professor WV_

Ella banged her head on the table and groaned. "Holy shit, he's out of his mind. Three weeks…ugh, I am so screwed."

"I know right…" Nepeta said gloomily, rising and adjusting her backpack strap. "I guess I'll see you for New Years, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. Your place?"

"That's fine. Bye Ella…"

Nepeta walked out, her head drooping slightly. If her kitty ears were real, Ella was sure that they'd be flat to her friend's head at this point. She sighed and got up as well, all the while thinking that if something interesting didn't happen soon that she'd never get the inspiration to get this project done.

And then she remembered the party.

God _damn_ it.

**This chapter was short, late, and kind of really bad, but there you go. I am sorry, next chapter shall be interesting to say the least. Shit will go down. I promise. …Really. ~kandyblood bows out~**


	8. Author's Note- Unfortunate Necessity

**I am very sorry to say that I am unable to continue this fic. My beta reader, from whom I am borrowing Erin, and I are no longer speaking. At all. I'm sorry that it's happened, but I respect her wish for me to ask her about my decisions with Erin and I'm afraid most of the planned plot revolves around our lovely 3D glasses-wearing friend. I may restart this if I make up with my former beta, but it is unlikely in the forseeable future. It is with great regret that I must end this story in the middle, though I will be working on others. Thank you all for reading, and I'm truly sorry that this story must come to an end.**

**~kandyblood :(~**


End file.
